Phoenix Blog

I've had Insects on the mind the last few days, and not just because the goddamn wasps are back using my pool to build their nests. Naw, these Insects are MC Brad B and producer Foundation from Drunken Immortals, the latest spinoff project from the prolific collective to hit the streets. In next week's issue of the paper, my column Revolver will delve into the relative importance of this new incarnation; in the meantime, this is why you should check out the project.

Number one, the entire album, Free the Hard Way, is exactly that - free. You can get it on the Myspace link above (there are three other Insects Myspace pages, to allow room for all of the songs), or try www.freethehardway.com, which was down the last time I checked. You'll have to wait for the column for my full analysis of the album, but you'll hear for yourself that it's not like anything they've done before, and really, not like much else out there.

The music is tough to classify, because it doesn't follow any of the usual hip-hop molds, whether mainstream or indie. "I like big butts too, but I don't feel the need to talk about it all the time," Foundation told me when we were busting the Q&A for the column. "I don't happen to have any jewelry — I can afford it, I make money, I'm not poor by any means. If you want to put a label on it, call me whatever you want, I don't give a shit. I'm making music, you can call me death metal."

It's not death metal, but it's a darker, more intense, welcome new element in the local hip-hop scene. Check it out yourself...

"Winds of Change": http://media.newtimes.com/id/752537/

"Devils Are Scared": http://media.newtimes.com/id/752543/